“Switch. Conserve. Make some noise.” Building on this sturdy, strategic framework, the ex-astronaut and her longtime writing collaborator present budding eco-activists with a range of suggestions designed to spark a “go green” mindset at home and in school. With exceptions, such as perfunctory directions for starting a vegetable garden in containers or creating some domestic pressure to save water by timing everyone’s showers, the tips for saving energy and natural resources are reasonably doable—and the authors usually explain in general terms the potential benefits of each. Illustrated with simple line drawings of young people in action, and featuring simple surveys, checklists and a sample letter, this makes a worthy addition to the plethora of similar handbooks. Mission: Planet Earth (2009) shares both authors and publication date, but addresses an older audience and takes a more theoretical look at the potential hazards of unwise energy management. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59643-379-3
Page Count: 61
Publisher: Flash Point/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2009
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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The devastation of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey is explained, from the storm’s origin to its ongoing aftermath, in this photo-heavy book.
In retelling the story of how a storm got so big it caused 82 deaths and billions of dollars in damage along the Texas coast, Minneapolis-based author Felix details the science of hurricanes for those unfamiliar and unpacks why this and a series of other hurricanes made for one of the most damaging weather years on record. Although it’s packed with info-boxes, a glossary, tips for safety during a hurricane and helping survivors afterward, a snapshot of five other historic hurricanes, and well-curated photos, it misses an opportunity to convey some of the emotion and pain victims endured and continue to feel. Instead, much of the text feels like a summation of news reports, an efficient attempt to answer the whys of Hurricane Harvey, with only a few direct quotations. Readers learn about Virgil Smith, a Dickinson, Texas, teen who rescued others from floodwaters with an air mattress, but the information is secondhand. The book does answer, clearly and concisely, questions a kid might have about a hurricane, such as what happens to animals at the zoo in such an emergency and how a tropical storm forms in the first place. A portion of the book’s proceeds are to be donated to the Texas Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund.
The photos effectively convey the scope of Harvey’s impact, but while journalistically sound, this informative book doesn’t capture the fear and shock those who lived through the hurricane must have felt. (Nonfiction. 9-10)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2888-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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